The Layman-friendly Science Quiz

If you think science is all about textbooks and lab coats, think again — science is all around us. In fact, you might be surprised at just how much science you encounter in everyday life and how much you remember from the classroom. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of all things scientific.

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Question 1 of 30

If a big chunk of rock falls from space and lands in your yard, it's probably …

a meteorite

Meteors and asteroids orbit the sun. Rocks that manage to make it all the way to the Earth's surface are knowns as meteorites.

an asteroid

a meteor

Question 2 of 30

You shouldn't swim in a pool full of dihydrogen monoxide.

true

false

Dihydrogen monoxide is just a fancy way of saying H2O, or water.

Question 3 of 30

Which of these is NOT found in the nucleus of an atom?

protons

electrons

Protons and neutrons make up an atom's nucleus, while electrons make up the area outside of the nucleus.

neutrons

Question 4 of 30

True or false: The earliest humans lived alongside the last of the dinosaurs.

true

false

The last dinosaurs walked Earth 65 million years ago, while early humans didn't show up until around 2.5 million years ago.

Question 5 of 30

What is the most common element in the universe?

hydrogen

Around 90 percent of the universe is made of hydrogen.

oxygen

carbon

Question 6 of 30

At what temperature does water boil at sea level?

100 degrees Fahrenheit (212 degrees Celsius)

212 degrees Fahrenheit

Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius. At higher elevations, water boils at a lower temperature, while the reverse is true at lower elevations.

365 degrees Fahrenheit

Question 7 of 30

How much of the Earth's surface is covered by water?

30 percent

50 percent

70 percent

Oceans cover just over 70 percent of the Earth's surface, and 97 percent of all water on the planet can be found in these oceans.

Question 8 of 30

What is the middle layer of the Earth called?

mantle

The Earth consists of three layers — an outer crust and inner core separated by a rocky layer known as the mantle.

magma

tectonic plates

Question 9 of 30

Which travels faster, light or sound?

light

Light travels around 300 million meters per second (186,000 miles per second), while sound creeps along at 340 meters per second. That's why lightning always comes before thunder during a storm.

sound

They travel at the same speed.

Question 10 of 30

Which of these elements did Marie Curie discover?

cadmium

mercury

radium

Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in 1903 — the first woman ever to earn the honor — for her discovery of radium and plutonium.

Question 11 of 30

How long does it take Earth to travel around the sun?

one year

The Earth takes 365 days to travel around the sun and 24 hours to rotate completely on its axis.

one day

one minute

Question 12 of 30

Which of the following would you prefer to eat if you were an herbivore?